Bradley Smoker whats the best way?

Captain PartyMarty

Captain PartyMarty

Crew Member
I got a new Bradley Digital smoker for Christmas which was cool. unfortunately my first attempt at using it was a complete fail.

Problem 1. It cooked the living S^&t out the fish after just a few hours. I assume the temperature got too hot even though it was set at 120F. how do you guy's control the temp? I am working on a second batch now and am planing on leaving the heating element off and just running the smoker with the vent fully open.

Problem 2. The fish was completely baked onto the racks I oiled the rack but the fish stuck to it like you wouldn't believe. I used vegi oil what do you guy's use to make sure it doesn't stick?

Capt
 
When I cook Salmon I like to keep it to less than 110. I leave the oven portion off and just go with the smoke generator. I run it up for an hour to stabalize the temperature before putting the fish in. Sometimes, I have to leave the door open a bit to keep it from getting to hot.
The key for me is to do my fish in the winter outside to keep it from getting to hot.
 
I always leave the vent all the way open if u have it even slightly closed at least on mine I have noticed it will be 20* hotter then what it's set for. Vegi oil works for me on the racks maybe use a bit more next time


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
Captain PartyMarty said:
I got a new Bradley Digital smoker for Christmas which was cool. unfortunately my first attempt at using it was a complete fail.

Problem 1. It cooked the living S^&t out the fish after just a few hours. I assume the temperature got too hot even though it was set at 120F. how do you guy's control the temp? I am working on a second batch now and am planing on leaving the heating element off and just running the smoker with the vent fully open.

Problem 2. The fish was completely baked onto the racks I oiled the rack but the fish stuck to it like you wouldn't believe. I used vegi oil what do you guy's use to make sure it doesn't stick?

Capt
Click to expand...
You say a few hours, what does that mean? Was the fish dry and room temperature when it went in? Digital smokers are designed for temperature control.......
 
The bradley digital smoker can have temp swings of +/- 10* which is normal.
I would pick up a remote smoker monitor so you can watch your temps from inside the house
I use frogmats on my racks and nothing sticks, I have them for my BBQ as well now for doing fish right on the grille.
can you give us a little more detail on what you did to prepare the fish for smoking as well, may help a bit
also check out http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/ and the recipe site at www.susanminor.org if you havent already.
some very seasoned smokers over there
Tim
 
Did you leave the skin on to smoke? I spray my Bradley racks with Pam grilling spray and put the salmon skin side down and never had a problem
 
Hookin'up said:
The bradley digital smoker can have temp swings of +/- 10* which is normal.
I would pick up a remote smoker monitor so you can watch your temps from inside the house
I use frogmats on my racks and nothing sticks, I have them for my BBQ as well now for doing fish right on the grille.
can you give us a little more detail on what you did to prepare the fish for smoking as well, may help a bit
also check out http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/ and the recipe site at www.susanminor.org if you havent already.
some very seasoned smokers over there
Tim
Click to expand...

x2 on what Tim says re the frog mats. May be we could help more if you gave us more detail. Were these fillets or strips you were smoking? With hot smoked strips, I never go over about 140 degrees, despite what the most popular recipe on the Bradley forums says. That way I don't get the sticking problem you encountered(and I use the frog mats).
Tim--what are nothing sticks?
T2
 
Captain PartyMarty said:
I got a new Bradley Digital smoker for Christmas which was cool. unfortunately my first attempt at using it was a complete fail.

Problem 1. It cooked the living S^&t out the fish after just a few hours. I assume the temperature got too hot even though it was set at 120F. how do you guy's control the temp? I am working on a second batch now and am planing on leaving the heating element off and just running the smoker with the vent fully open.

Problem 2. The fish was completely baked onto the racks I oiled the rack but the fish stuck to it like you wouldn't believe. I used vegi oil what do you guy's use to make sure it doesn't stick?

Capt
Click to expand...
Capt: I will outline my procedure which works for me every time - no sticking for me
- put racks in 180 to 200 degree oven in your kitchen for 10 minutes
- set racks in sink and spray the warm racks with Pam (can do all at once in a stack)
- place fish on racks with skin down
RE: Smoker
- keep vent open half way or more
- run first 4 hours at 120 F
- I usually do 2 or 3 hours at 130 F, may shift racks around at this time to balance the doneness/smoke etc.
- then I do 2 hours at 140, shift racks again before raising temp
- your fish could be done at this point if thin filets but could need up to 4 hours more if large springs and you want the fish very firm or a drier product
- you can stay at 140 F to complete the smoking/drying or go to 150 F at the end if you want
ONCE you get to the 140 F or 150 F stage you will have to keep a close eye on the fish to prevent it getting over done, moving the racks around frequently (up/down position as well as turning 180 degrees).

...Rob
 
I've had my frog mats for 6 or 7 years (had to order them from the states back then) and they are still holding up fine. An added bonus to using them is you can smoke almonds or any small food bits without the food items dropping through the racks.
T2
 
nice thing about the frog mats is you can throw them in the dishwasher too,
they have them already cut to the Bradley racks and I also have larger ones for the BBQ,
but as mentioned they are great for smaller items at the openings are maybe 1/4"
you can now buy them from the .ca site right in canada, whereas when I bought mine 5-6 years ago it was USA only
but they do last forever it seems
 
Frogmats are great, they're non-stick and can throw them in the dishwasher to clean them.
I got my set at Johnson's Bbq in North Van.
 
X2 on the frog mats. Excellent. Made for the Bradley Smoker.


Sent from my iPhone
 
Um have you guys ever thought of just using parchment paper? Cut to size.....Toss or reuse when done. Huge roll at Costco $10

or the Teflon Jerky Racks from Bradley I have been using them for years
 
LowTide said:
You may want to consider an aftermarket (e.g. Auberin) Temperature and smoke controller with as many as 6 programmes.
http://www.susanminor.org/forums/showthread.php?672-Auber-Plug-amp-Play-PIDs-Single-Dual-Probes
http://forum.bradleysmoker.com/index.php?topic=24609.msg297690;topicseen#msg297690
You can build your own or order from Auber, but you will have way more control over your temperatures and the temperature variances will go from +-20 degrees to less than 2.
Click to expand...

Hot rodding the Original. I love it :cool:. Thanks for the links :). My digital is getting bagged and with the prices out there on the Originals this looks like a good way to go.



When I smoke my fish I go from cold to hot gradually. I just use the smoke for the first hour or so with ice cubes in the bowl. No heat element. I then start at low temp and work my way up from there over the next couple/few hours. If you heat to much to soon then you get the white fat deposits showing on top (just an appearance thing). I leave the vent wide open the whole time to let moisture out.
 
Sculpin said:
Hot rodding the Original. I love it :cool:. Thanks for the links :). My digital is getting bagged and with the prices out there on the Originals this looks like a good way to go.



When I smoke my fish I go from cold to hot gradually. I just use the smoke for the first hour or so with ice cubes in the bowl. No heat element. I then start at low temp and work my way up from there over the next couple/few hours. If you heat to much to soon then you get the white fat deposits showing on top (just an appearance thing). I leave the vent wide open the whole time to let moisture out.
Click to expand...
John I have used the Auberins for many years now esp for sausage and ronis where temps are more crucial, but the best Mod I did was the dual burner mod, I can now open my door to check things out and not worry about cooling things off too much as the recovery time is incredible, heats right back up in a matter of a couple minutes
 
Hookin'up said:
John I have used the Auberins for many years now esp for sausage and ronis where temps are more crucial, but the best Mod I did was the dual burner mod, I can now open my door to check things out and not worry about cooling things off too much as the recovery time is incredible, heats right back up in a matter of a couple minutes
Click to expand...

Can you share more details on this mod?

And does anyone use a wireless or bluetooth temp probe with alarm to monitor your smoker temp? I can't justify the Auberins since I only do a few batches of salmon a year, but would like to improve my methods and my understanding is temp control is very important. In the past it has gone "out of range" on me a few times and it cooked the salmon a little too quickly. I think an alarm or display would help me catch this and make adjustments to the vent/door, or burner.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

the butcher
smoke - slow or fast moving for best smoke quality?
Replies
3
Views
705
Rain City
Rain City
IronNoggin
The Sausage Factory
Replies
12
Views
2K
wolf
wolf
Brian Reiber
Smoker Suggestions
Replies
26
Views
3K
Brian Reiber
Brian Reiber
pacemaker
Bradley Smoker - Propane
Replies
5
Views
781
pacemaker
pacemaker
A
Traeger vs. Bradley
Replies
3
Views
1K
Deejray
Deejray
Back
Top